White says future is here with UFC.tv, online pirates should prep for jail time

While this past weekend’s “UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort” event will always be remembered for the front kick heard ’round the world, UFC president Dana White said the card might also be known as the launching point for the future of the company.

In conjunction with the New York-based NeuLion, Inc., the UFC offered an enhanced pay-per-view broadcast at UFC.tv, and White believes the format is the wave of the future.

“It is (the future), I’m telling you,” White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “I’ve been saying it for 10 years. Everything is going Internet. I believe that everybody is going to be watching TV and be on the Internet.”

While the UFC has long offered its pay-per-view broadcasts via online streams, the partnership with NeuLion includes options for fans to choose multiple camera angles from which to view the fight, as well as the option to listen to a variety of audio feeds, including direct feeds from each fighter’s corners.

The product will eventually feature additional interactive options such as live chatting with fellow UFC fans, as well as live scoring by viewers.

“I think that’s where everything is going,” White said. “As technology grows, the world keeps getting smaller and smaller. As we go into all these countries, people all over the world love the UFC and love a fight. This thing always made sense to me.”

NeuLion has offered similar programs with a variety of professional sporting leagues, including the NBA, NFL and NHL. However, a NeuLion official told MMAjunkie.com none of those broadcasts were met with the same enthusiasm as the UFC’s initial offering.

“We are pleased to be working with the UFC, and our new partnership will bring fans a whole new set of products and services,” NeuLion CEO Nancy Li stated in an official release. “Whether online or mobile, fans can stay connected to UFC like never before. Granting UFC fans the most immersive experience yet, we are excited to be a part of the next step in their digital expansion.”

A free demo of the product, featuring the first round of January’s UFC 125 lightweight title fight between current champion Frankie Edgar and top contender Gray Maynard (featuring dramatic audio of Edgar’s corner debating whether or not to throw in the towel), is currently available at UFC.tv.

MMA has long been known as a sport that survived on the Internet, as hardcore fans clamored for news about the sport even during the “dark days” of MMA when major events were held despite being banned from pay-per-view. Now White insists his promotion is embracing the Internet, as witnessed by recent Facebook.com offerings in which the UFC boss said the potential audience for live fights is astounding.

“With the Facebook thing, there’s a potential for 600 million people to watch a fight,” White said. “Six-hundred million people, and it’s broadcast quality.”

Of course, the Internet hasn’t always proven friendly to the UFC, and the world’s biggest MMA promotion has spent a great deal of time fighting online piracy, as well.

This past week, the federal government shut down 10 different websites accused of illegally streaming copyrighted content, and the UFC responded by issuing a statement of gratitude.

“The very forceful actions taken by Mr. (Preet) Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and Mr. (John T.) Morton, the Director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, against these parasitic websites is very welcome news,” White stated. “The criminal theft of pay-per-view events has resulted in the loss of millions of dollars of revenue to not only the UFC and its fighters, but has also deprived federal, state and local government of their rightful entitlement to significant tax revenue.

“On behalf of the UFC and its fighters, I extend my sincerest thanks to Mr. Bharara, Mr. Morton, and the many assistant U.S. attorneys and agents of Homeland Security Investigations who worked so tirelessly during the course of this intensive investigation.”

This past weekend, White confirmed his commitment to fighting the uphill battle against online piracy.

“You’ve got to understand, all this stuff is brand new. Even when the music thing happened with Napster and all that stuff, if I take your song and let people download the song, the song isn’t ruined. People still want to hear that song or the album or whatever it is. When our event gets stolen, it’s dead. It’s over. You know the results. A live event is different than anything else.”

And while this past week’s announcements focused on a handful of websites providing illegal streams, White confirmed his legal team will continue to press for enforcement at all levels of the piracy pipeline.

“We’re fighting it hard,” White said. “Listen, I said it when we made this announcement, and I’ll say it again, people are going to jail.”

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.